Explore the cultural treasures and traditions of the nomadic people who have crossed the region throughout centuries, and of the people who have settled in its cities. Discover the modern marvel and architectural glory of Ashgabat. Travel the sprawling Soviet-styled cities of Almaty, Bishkek, and Tashkent. Visit the architectural legacies of a flourishing Islamic culture and the medieval Timurid Empire. Traveling through Central Asia you will experience centuries of change and development of the “Five Stan countries”.

This is one of our most popular and cutting-edge tours, taking in the extraordinary countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. This part of the globe is home to great steppes, magical deserts, fertile valleys and some of the highest mountains in the world. The scenery is breathtaking and remarkably varied, with green/blue glacial lakes, saw-toothed mountains, red rock formations, sparkling rivers and rolling hills. These lands produced great scholars and conquerors, and were a 19th and 20th century geopolitical chess board on which the ‘Great Game’ was played out between Britain and Russia.

This tour will lead you through cities in Central Asia that were once important stopovers on the Great Silk Road. You will discover the cultural treasures and traditions of the nomadic people who have crossed the region for ages, and of the people who have settled in its cities.

Until recently shut off from the outside world and still shrouded in legend and mystery, the personality of each of the ‘stans’ makes an extraordinary journey into the greatest remaining story-book history in world travel today.

Supplemental Tour Information:
Tour Highlights:
— Combine cultural highlights and natural beauty of Central Asia in one tour.
— Visit diverse towns in all Central Asian countries.
— Shop in oriental bazaars for a wonderful insight into daily life and mingle with the locals.
— Camp beside the burning gas crater the “Gate of Hell” at Darvaza.
— Admire Islamic architecture, browse bustling bazaars and take tea adjacent to the beautiful pool of Lyab-i-Khauz in Bukhara.
— Visit Khiva - the most romantic city on the Silk Road, a UNESCO protected site and perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all the Silk Road cities.
— Discover the cultural gem of the Silk Road and visit the awe-inspiring restored madrassas standing on three sides of Registan Square in Samarkand.